Free Entry For Punters To Rosehill Gardens On Bookmakers Recognition Day

27 May, 2026

General Admission entry to Rosehill Gardens is free this Saturday as The Australian Turf Club and the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative join in hosting the eighth annual Bookmakers Recognition Day.

The Listed $200,000 Lord Mayors Cup with a capacity field of 18 runners and three emergencies is the feature race on the card.

The raceday recognises bookmakers past and present, including the recently deceased and popular long-time bookmaker Sandro D’Amore.

Three other men – current bookmakers Greg Millett and Denham Carter along with former bookie clerk Peter Taylor (also recently deceased) – will be honoured on Saturday.

Four races on the ten-race card, which has attracted 179 entries, will be named in each of their honour.

Chairman of the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative David Dwyer said bookmakers were a unique and integral part of a raceday.

“It is fantastic the ATC continues to honour long-term NSW Bookmakers who have been part of the fabric of racing for over 150 years,’’ Mr Dwyer said.

“This year the club recognizes Sandro D’Amore, Greg Millett, Denham Carter and Peter Taylor, who have been part of the colour and energy of the betting ring for many decades between them.

“The racing and bookmaking community is still in mourning following the death of Sydney bookie Sandro D’Amore, who regularly offered top value to the punters and always gave them a good bet.

“On-course bookmakers continue to offer better value to punters on track and betting to bigger minimum bets than off-track bookmakers.

“The punters on course still love to have a bet on their pick and collect that cash in hand when their selection wins.’’

Australian Turf Club Head Of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani joined Mr Dwyer in paying tribute to Mr D’Amore.

“Sandro was a true gentleman and one of the most popular bookies at our racecourses, and he will be greatly missed by his colleagues and on-course punters,’’ Mr Ramdhani said.

“As we honour these four men, the ATC is again pleased on this annual day to highlight how important bookmakers are for the on-course experience.

“The ATC continues to offer punters the best value in wagering with the strongest betting ring in the country, offering the largest bets at the best odds.

“We thank the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative in adding to the value of the day and sponsoring the free entry for customers.’’

Full fields for Saturday’s Rosehill Gardens meeting are available here and full TAB markets for all races are here.

For all racing and general information go to theraces.com.au.

GREG MILLETT

As a young man working in a bank, it was a fortuitous accident that Greg was one day offered a role with bookmaker John Ball, a client of the bank, to fill in for a missing clerk.  With his Saturday punting not so fruitful, Greg was happy for the opportunity and began clerking at the Maitland trots and surrounding venues.

At age 27, Greg took up a license himself and is now celebrating 50 years of bookmaking.

Basing his bookmaking style on the advice of older heads – to focus on the figures but always be aware of the faces to watch out for – Greg based himself at the trots for a number of years before branching out to country thoroughbred meetings, in particular the picnic meetings throughout the NSW Western Districts. He and his wife now take the early months of each year to travel through venues such as Yass, Grenfell, Louth and Broken Hill and offer a service to the punters.

Like many in the racing industry, the camaraderie on display at these venues from people seen little more than once a year, as well as the atmosphere on display from the local communities, has kept him involved and keen to continue as long as he is able. He has been a long-term member of the NSW Bookmakers Co-Op and is a life member of City Tatts Club.

Along with his wife who continues to work the computers oncourse, Greg’s son Carl has followed in his father footsteps running a number of successful online wagering businesses.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Greg’s significant contribution to the racing industry across his 50 plus years and wishes him well into the future.

DENHAM CARTER

As a boy, Denham began accompanying his bookmaker uncle to the greyhound races around the Hunter Valley and Newcastle. This was exciting for a young lad and after moving to Sydney in the early 1960s, he soon sought out an after-hours role as a clerk with prominent Rails bookmaker Homer Jones.

60 years later, Denham remains committed to fielding on course, offering his service and taking the punters on.

In 1979, Denham took a license in his own name, even purchasing a bag from Homer Jones upon his retirement. He has fielded predominantly at the Sydney metropolitan courses, though with regular trips to the Hunter/Newcastle areas as well as Canberra and the South Coast. Carnival times at Royal Randwick stand as his favourite racedays, always presenting an exciting challenge he looks forward to.

A member of the NSW Bookmakers’ Co-Op from day 1, serving as director for 25 years, Denham’s bookmaking style has been one based on figures coupled with a very good memory for horses and their performances. He admits that luck has certainly played its part and it’s a quote from his uncle that has always rung true – “It’s not how much you hold but how much you win that counts”.

Over his time Denham has seen the racing product and the facilities it operates in develop to a very high standard, giving the public every reason to attend and take the bookies on in person while watching their picks thundering home.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Denham’s significant contribution to the racing industry across his 60 plus years and wishes him well into the future.

SANDRO D’AMORE

(1964 – 2026)

 Sandro D’Amore passed away unexpectedly in May 2026. The racing industry will be poorer for his absence.

Born and raised in Sydney’s west, Sandro’s interest in numbers saw him study commerce at the University of Western Sydney. Rather than a career in finance it was to the racecourse he headed, proudly following in his father Charlie’s footsteps to become a bookmaker. It was a profession in which he would successfully operate for over thirty years.

Fielding from the cut and thrust of the betting ring, Sandro was a disciplined operator, more than happy to bet overs on the right horses but careful to make sure he always worked to his system. Unafraid of even the biggest punters, he was a consummate professional in all dealings with both punters and the Club. In the words of the NSW Bookmakers Co-Op Chairman, David Dwyer, Sandro “gave every punter a fair go and always did it with a smile”.

His disciplined approach to bookmaking was evident in other areas of his life, whether in his teens as a soccer player where he represented at state level, or in his 40s, in his drive and dedication to achieve black belts in both jujitsu and karate.

Sandro was a committed family man and friend to many. His presence will be sorely missed by those closest to him and to all the Sydney racing community.

The Australian Turf Club passes its condolences to the D’Amore family and recognises Sandro’s significant contribution to the racing industry.

PETER TAYLOR

(1937-2026)

Peter Taylor was a long-serving clerk to many prominent Sydney bookmakers over his decades spent on track.

Born alongside his twin brother Tony, Peter was involved in various sports growing up before the racing game bit him, first through owning greyhounds and then thoroughbreds. Keen to get closer to the action, Peter (as well as Tony and younger brother John) took up clerking roles across all Sydney and provincial tracks.

Working alongside long-standing bookmakers such as Barry Cook, Alan Davidson and Denham Carter, Peter’s good grasp of numbers was a valuable commodity in the days before computers were prevalent. Some of his more enjoyable times were working for prominent interstate bookmaker Harry Barrett, a leviathan bookmaker whose battles with Kerry Packer through the 1980s was legendary.

Peter’s favourite days were carnival meetings such as the Golden Slippers that saw he and his brothers all manning stands for bookmakers in different parts of the course. Many a story was told of a punter betting with one of the twins in the ring without success and then, when trying their hand elsewhere on course, being confronted with seemingly the same clerk!

Given his experiences at Rosehill Gardens, he was buoyed in his final year to learn that the venue was to remain as a racecourse.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Peter’s significant contribution to the NSW racing industry across his decades of involvement.

AUSTRALIAN TURF CLUB MEDIA CONTACT:

Brett de Vine

0419 613 455

bdevine@theATC.com.au